Juan Escovedo
Keeping with the family element in the Family Jamm!, percussionist Juan Escovedo is the younger brother of Sheila E., and has played with Prince, M.C. Hammer, Sheila E.'s original band from the Purple Rain tour, the Pete Escovedo Orchestra and many more. He has been featured in several films and videos, including "Chasing Papi" and the Romance 1600 Live and Purple Rain tour video. Sometimes seen playing with the Bay Area band Mystique, Juan is currently working on his own CD.


Jerome Benton
"Hey Jesse, now Jerome, yes...oweeoweeoh!" is a familiar line to one of The Time's biggest hits, "Jungle Love". Best known for his work with Morris Day and The Time, with whom Jerome still tours, Jerome Benton has also had prominent roles in the movies Purple Rain, Under The Cherry Moon and Graffiti Bridge. Benton is the younger brother of former Time guitarist (and mega-producer) Terry Lewis. With The Time, Jerome plays Morris Day's "valet" on stage, as well as percussion and sings backing vocals. Jerome has also performed with, and will perform with the band The Family at the Family Jamm!.


Miko Weaver
Former guitarist for Prince on both his Sign o' the Times and Lovesexy tours, Miko Weaver also played guitar with Sheila E. in her original band from the Purple Rain tour. Among the bands he's played with since leaving Prince's band, Miko has his own band called Miko and the Boombox.


Susannah Melvoin
For Susannah Melvoin, it's obvious that music runs in the family. Her father is legendary jazz keyboard player Michael Melvoin, and Susannah has been a long-standing member of her twin sister's band, Wendy & Lisa. She was also a member of The Family. Susannah has written for and performed with influential artists and producers such as Quincy Jones, Trevor Horn, Don Smith, Don Was, William Orbit, Tchad Blake, Mitchell Froome, Prince, Seal, Madonna, Mike Oldfield, Eric Clapton and B. B. King, The Grid, Neil Finn of Crowded House, and her husband Doyle Bramhall II.


Levi Seacer Jr.
For talented guitarist and producer Levi Seacer Jr., the Family Jamm! will definitely be a homecoming of sorts. He has played with nearly every artist performing at the show. After appearing in Sheila E.'s band, Levi played with Madhouse, opening for Prince's band throughout his Sign o' the Times tour in Europe, before joining his band full time from 1987-1993. Seacer has also worked with Jevetta Steele, Mavis Staples, the Sounds of Blackness, Tevin Campbell, and many more. Levi will perform with his old bandmates from Madhouse during this show.


Patti LaBelle
Patti LaBelle is one of the most recognized names in popular music. With nearly 30 albums she's recorded in various incarnations (in the '60s as leader of Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles, in the '70s with Labelle and since 1977, as a soloist), she's had 30 charted singles including "Lady Marmalade", "If Only You Knew", "New Attitude", "On My Own", (a duet with Michael McDonald), and more recent hits like "Somebody Loves You Baby", "When You've Been Blessed", and "When You Talk About Love". Among the artists she's worked with throughout her amazing career was Prince, who wrote several songs for her including "Yo Mister", which dealt with teen pregnancy. Among her accolades, she's received 2 Grammy Awards, seven NAACP Image Awards (including the coveted Entertainer of the Year Award, 1996), three Emmy nominations, two American Music Awards, a Cable Ace Award and the Soul Train Lifetime Achievement Award. The author of two best-selling books - autobiography Don't Block The Blessings and the 1999 cookbook, LaBelle Cuisine: Recipes to Sing About - she has starred in her own prime-time television specials and weekly television series, "Out All Night". In addition to her amazing career, Patti's work as a humanitarian is legendary. A diabetic herself, Patti has served as a spokesperson for the American Diabetic Association. Her "Patti LaBelle Medical Education Scholarship Fund" is administered through the National Medical Association, and she's served as the spokesperson for the National Minority AIDS Council' s "Live Long Sugar" campaign; and the National Cancer Institute. Her website is at www.pattilabelle.com.


Matt "Dr." Fink
Matt "Doctor" Fink was the surgical scrub-wearing keyboard player in several of Prince's bands, from his earliest touring band in 1978 with the band that would become known as "The Revolution" through the "Sign o' the Times" band and finally the New Power Generation. Classically trained, Fink collaborated with Prince on many of his albums, including Dirty Mind, Controversy, Purple Rain, Around the World in a Day, Parade and Sign O' the Times. Since leaving the band in 1991, "The Doctor" has been spending his time in his Minneapolis recording studio, StarVu, producing artists, music for video games, and soundtrack music. His website can be found at www.doctorfink.com.


Susie Davis
The daughter of a disc jockey, Susie Davis joined Sheila E's band in 1984, as part of the opening act for Prince's Purple Rain tour, performing nightly with Prince and the Revolution on keyboards and backing vocals and guitar. She has worked with many artists over the years since leaving Sheila's band in 1986, including Van Morrison, Billy Idol, Belinda Carlisle, Mick Jagger, Deborah Harry, Sinead O'Connor, Melissa Etheridge, Go West, Patty Smythe, Daryl Hall and Pat Benatar, and has also played on many albums and appeared in over 25 music videos with the same artists, as well as with Michael Jackson, Tracy Chapman, Hall and Oates, Jill Sobule, and Greg Kihn. She will join Sheila E.'s "Romance 1600" band at the "Family Jamm!". Her website can be found at www.susiedavis.com.

http://www.lilangelbunny....jbios.html

Oh my god!

Jerome performing with The Family and Mico and Levi...oh my god!

How long is this concert going to be??

Looks like an all-day job to me - there are more acts than turned up at Glasto this year!

Looks like this is going to be the Prince concert MANY fans want to see...only without Prince.

I'd like to see Mazarati up in the mix as well. That would be cool.

This is like my dream concert. Although it would be great if Prince showed, just what they have so far is exciting enough.

Also, it would just be CRAZY, to see Cat show up and do a dance for everyone. That would be special.

I like how they're asking us for requests, I don't think they know that with this crowd just play whatever you want, we'll know it!

lulirom said:

I'm glad she'll be there...I hate I can't go, but I'm glad she'll be there.

I think Bobby Z. will be there too..

BlaqueKnight said:

co-sign! Since Eric Leeds, Levi Seacer, & Dr.Fink will be there It'd make total sense for them to do some Madhouse songs(Sheila E. on drums?).

1p1p1i3 said:

I heard it will be no more than 3 hours. And no current plans to release on DVD.
[This message was edited Tue Oct 7 17:02:29 PDT 2003 by anemone]

This is turning out to be THE jamm of the YEAR!!!